St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-02
TROUBLE HAS BEGUN.
State Legislators in Great Numbers
Flocked to the Capitol on New
Years Day,
And the War of Wire-Pulling For the
speakership and Other Offices
Opens Up.
a Three or Four Cornered Fight We'll
on for the Presiding officer
ofthe House.
Estimates of the Strength OF Davis
and Others for SENATOR
Bits of Gossip.


If some of the members of the legis-
lature who came to St. Paul yesterday
didn't get tired out with the wind work that
was done in the corridors of the hotels
i there will be an unusually large amount
of Sabbath breaking in this city to-
day. A whole army of members of three
houses swarmed into the city yesterday, the
membership of the third house" being
| probably the larger. and at no time since
the state convention has there been as much
| buttonholing going on as there was on
the first day of the present
year of our Lord. William Lee, Of
Todd county, was there. History
has put down Mr.. Lee exactly as
he looked yesterday. He had on
a celuloid collar. said by eminent critics
to be the same one lie wore when he was
in the house of representatives, two years
ago, and he wore no necktie. This, in
connection with the arrival of 1gnatius
Donnelly, who will lead the army Of
farmers in their legislative battles, was re-
garded as most signficant-a part OF a
deep-lad plot to capture the country meln-
bers at first blush. Mr.. Lee said he was
not yet giving away just how many sup
porters he counted on IN his race for the
speakership. He did say. however, that
he believed he could put his finger on more
solid votes than could Hon. w. L. Merriam.
Mr.. Lee smiled when a reporter asked him
what there was in the story that his friends
would combine with Mr.. Buffum's to
defeat Mr., Merriam, and said there
might possibly be something in it. He said
he was confident that not one of the men
who is now pledged to support Buffum or
himself would by any combination be in
duced to vote for Mr.. Merriam. 1t was the
field against Merriam from start to finish.
Mr.. Lee said he was confident that he would
WELD the gayel in the next house. Mr..
Lee was very industriously moving about.
and every once in few minutes he disap-
peared into some room down the corridor
with a farmer in tow. W. r. Merriam,
wearing Il seal skin cap, was On the grounds,
and ran sort OF go-aS- you-please with Mr..
Lee for the newly arrived members He
had a goodly number of lieutenantS at work
on the button hOiing, and they said
THEY WERE CONFIDENT
that Mr.. Merriam was coming under the
wire ahead. MI. Merriam himself said
he though the was getting the prize in sight.
It seemed to be the plans of Mr.. Buffum's
friends to keep more in the shade than the
others, and if much work was being done
for him it was Oh the quiet. Nearly every
man who knew anything about the speaker
ship had few remarks to make on the
combination of Lee aud Buffum to defeat
Merriam. On all sides could be heard the
statement that it was Merriam against the
field. and it was given out that the forces
of the field were so good natured toward
each other that they would either of them
sacrifice their own chief to kill of the st.
Paul banker. The chiefs, too, it was given
out. were ready and waiting to be sacrificed.
1t was said to be the understanding that il
Butfum should get the Speakership, Lee
was to be chairman Of the committee or
finance and was also to have position OF
the ways and means committee. If Lee
was the winner in the speakership contest
,, Buffum was to have prominent place or
,, the railroad committee and the chairman
ship of some other-just which was moi
given out.
THE SAGE HAS COME.
, Hon. Ignatius Donnelly, accompanied by
his wife, arrived yesterday morning anC
, was assigned to rooms 80 and 81. the Mer
chants, where the sage sent back a cheer.
''come in" to every rap that shook the doc
of his apartment. He is here to fight tn,
+ railroads and TO take "a long pull and
, strong pulp in behalf of the farmers, $50
! he himself had said it." Other people an
ticiDate that there is more truth than bluSte
in Ignatius' declaration. and they say HI
| will make it exceedingly Interesting TO
whoever occupies the speakers chair, TO
he is thoroughly posted in parliamentary
= law and will not be bulldozed. 1t is tn
: general impression that Nininger'S Solol
will have his say within the next sixty day
., at all odds. Like many other member o
u the house, he kicks against SiXtyday ses
Il sion. He says it necesSitateS too much nigh
y y work and should be extended to ninety days
AS an evidence that the Sage has barred hi
steel against the railroads, it was said yes
terday that he came up from his Nlninge
home on ticket for which he paid goo
money, and that he returned unused rail
=, road pass good for himself land one.
o He is going to hold meeting at the cap
n tol Monday forenoon, to which all farmer
s and farmers friends will be welcome
n When questioned about this, he said it wa
IS simply to get the forces into working order
e Some committees would be appointed an
It they would draw up Il sort Of a plan Il
harmonious action in the interests of tn
farmers. Two or three men will shake i
their boots until they get full reports of th
q meeting, for it has been limited prett
o strongly that Ignatius and his class prOpos
y to have their say in the speakership COL
, test, as we'll as a few other matters.
THE SENATORIAL QUESTION.
n While there was so much general hustlin
: over the SpeakerShip of course the SEM
d torial question was not forgotten. 1t coul
not be denied that most of the men VIII
expressed themselves-and the legislator
are giving their preferences in a very III
r. guarded manner this year-were Davi
d men, The friends of the ex-governor wei
l. very active all day, and they did not hes
to tate to say that they had confidence in vii
le ming. Capt. Castle cast his veteran ey
ID over the crowd and remarked to J. I
Drake that he WASH interested particular
in the speakerShip contest, but he was a
interested spectator in the senatorial tigh
III 1t seemed good, he said, to be on top onc
20 and he predicted plain sailing for Davi
in Friends of the ex-governor could
found who said they did not cal
whether there was a caucus or not, the
could elect their man. Senator McMilla
~ was visible about the Merchants cOrrdo
in the forenoon, and did a pretty GOO
20 amount OF handshakng. He was still col
~ tident he said. and the Davis talk did M
al discourage him. He has not changed tro
his intention of going back to Washingto
early this week. He ventured the opinil
that his heaviest opponent would not ha1
IL a majority of Republican caucus. if OF
as were held. The question of whether
ks not the managers of McMlllan's campais
will
GO INTO THE CAUCUS
and abide by its results is hard of solution
Id Men who profess to know say that his su
OF porters will not do this. and open threa
IT. of a bolt have been heard. Whether the
is anv one who is authorized to make
statement on this point so early in the gan
ic do,,htTu1